queen chin - grinder

queen chin - grinder

Design Stefano Giovannoni with Rumiko Takeda
in collaboration with the National Palace Museum of Taiwan, 2006.
Thermoplastic, hand decorated. Made by Alessi.

The National Palace Museum of Taiwan can be considered the Louvre of the Orient for the richness and scope of its collections. Its holdings originate from the imperial collections of the Ch'ing dynasty, and the earlier Sung, Yuan and Ming dynasties, and constitute the central core of Chinese culture and art.

The collaboration between Alessi and the NPM of Taiwan grew out of the museum's wish to encourage greater awareness of Chinese history and culture in the West.

Stefano Giovannoni was asked to imagine and design a sort of mascot for the new Museum of the 21st Century. From this was born the ?"Chin" family: a group of characters, each of whom represents a specific household function. Instead of the usual method of casting a single piece of plastic from a single injection, the character-objects are made with separate molds (head, hat, body, foot, pompom) which are then assembled and hand painted.

Architect and designer, Stefano Giovannoni has explosive talent, able to embody the complex system of 'affective codes' in his projects. His great approach has won him the title of best 'Super & Popular' designer of 2000.

Queen Chin is a salt, pepper or spice grinder available in your choice of red or blue.

3" w | 2" d | 6" h

$80.00 + $7.00 shipping in the continental U.S.
(usually ships in 3-5 days).

Stefano Giovannoni was born in La Spezia but graduated in Architecture in Florence in 1978. Since 1979 he has taught and done research at the Florence Faculty of Architecture. He is master-professor at Domus Academy in Milan and at the Università del Progetto in Reggio Emilia. He works as an industrial and interior designer and architect in Milan, where he currently lives. He has worked with companies like Alessi, Flos, Magis, Seiko, Pulsar, Cappellini, Kankyo, Saab, etc. and received numerous prizes and recognition for his designs. His work for Magis included the highly successful “Bombo” stool and his “First” chair, both which produced an imitable style. He has been called the “most bankable” designer and the “King Midas of Design.”

Alessi was founded in 1921 by Giovanni Alessi to produce crafted metal products for eating and drinking. In 1935, Carlo Alessi, son of Giovanni, was named chief designer. In 1945, he ascended to chief executive and designed the coffee service Bombé, an industrial piece manufactured in four sizes. That same year Carlo's younger brother, Ettore Alessi, joined the company as a technician. By the 1980s, Alberto Alessi took over the management of Alessi and launched the Alessi company into the design decade through collaborations with designers such as Philippe Starck and his playful three-legged Juicy Salif citrus squeezer.